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Professional basketball players Kevin Durant and Monica Wright will put their competitive sides on hold for a while, after publicly acknowledging that the two have become engaged.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant confirmed on Sunday that he had proposed to Minnesota Lynx guard Monica Wright. The couple has been dating for a number of months, reports said, although Durant first expressed interest in Wright in 2011.

"Maybe I need a basketball playing girlfriend…hmm lol…monica wright where r u? love and basketball," he wrote in a 2011 Twitter post.

Durant proposed after scoring a season-high 17 points in Minnesota's 91-59 victory over Phoenix on Sunday. Photos of Wright showing off a large, round cut diamond engagement ring also surfaced on the Internet. In the past, Durant has been advertised as one of the "nicest guys in the NBA." In 2013, he pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross for the victims of the 2013 Moore tornado. Wright has applauded his generosity in interviews.

"He's got a heart of gold, and anytime (something like) this happens, he's the first one who wants to help," Monica told FoxSportsNorth. "He's a really compassionate guy."

Wright, 24, has played for the WNBA since 2010 after finished of college at the University of Virginia. That same year she was named to the WNBA's all-rookie team.

A three-time scoring NBA champion, Durant, also 24, took the spotlight in his first year after being deemed Rookie of the Year. His is also an Olympic gold medalist. He attended the University of Texas for one season of college basketball, earning multiple awards, before being drafted in 2007 by Oklahoma City Thunder. Last year he helped lead his team to the 2012 NBA finals. Experts have lauded Durant as one of the best players currently in the NBA.